Lawyer Julius Mbura is an advocate for disability rights. He has a passion for cars and cooking.
Julius lost his sight for the first time when he was 10 years old. When he was taken to the hospital, physicians were unable to determine the cause of his illness.
After multiple hospital trips, he was diagnosed with Maculopathy Rentisis Pigemntosa, a disorder that causes vision loss. The retina, a component of the eye that receives and visualizes information, is affected by this disorder. It worsens with time and eventually results in total blindness.
After sometimes, he made peace with the fact that he had lost sight. This made him fearless in life and encouraged him to explore a variety of other interests and pastimes.
Career
The challenges didn’t halt him or slow him down. He completed his studies and went on to law school, where he currently works as a lawyer assisting visually impaired persons.
He works for an organization called ‘Inable’ as a disability rights advocate. Their goal is to encourage visually impaired people to use assistive technology.
Passion
Julius defines himself as a blind lawyer with an interest in cars. He is a car enthusiast.
“My passion for cars goes way back when I was just six years old,” he stated.
Julius’ car assessment talents have amazed many Kenyans. He also cooks for himself, and baking is one of his interests. In the kitchen, the Kenyan lawyer says he depends primarily on his senses of smell and sound.
He is a vehicle enthusiast who not only cooks and evaluates cars, but also drives them. When he’s driving, he has to be accompanied by someone who can help him with instructions. He is free to drive as long as the road is not congested.
Inspiration
“I would like to give a message to the youth,” Julius says. “Stop enslaving yourselves with your circumstances, stop wallowing in what you cannot do, and use what you have to your advantage. Start from the point of you are capable, and disability shouldn’t be a limit. It should be a strength. Disability is not a weakness to me, and my life has not stopped because I am blind.”
